Misuari invited to OIC conference in Iran this month

MANILA, Philippines - Fugitive Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding chairman Nur Misuari, who faces criminal raps in connection with Zamboanga City siege last September, has been invited to the 18th Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Inter-Parliamentary Conference in Iran this month.

MNLF spokesman Absalom Cerveza said Misuari, who had returned to Sulu after hiding from government security forces, had expressed willingness to attend the OIC gathering scheduled on Jan. 18 in Tehran, Iran.

He added that the OIC invitation was coursed through the MNLF protocol officer last week in Jolo, Sulu.

“He’s back in the country and he will attend the parliamentary conference in Tehran,” Cerveza said.

As to how Misuari could travel to Iran is still a big question mark for the MNLF leadership since government security forces are hot on his trail.

Cerveza said he is still awaiting details of the agenda of the Tehran conference but said the problems besetting the Bangsamoro people in Mindanao have been included for discussion.

Misuari was also scheduled to attend the OIC conference in Guinea, Africa last Nov. 12 but backed out from the event and has been in hiding since then until his reported return to Sulu recently.

Sources said Misuari left for the Africa OIC conference but made a stopover in Saudi Arabia.

Misuari was able to slip out of the country despite being included in the government’s watch list.

Justice Secretary Liela De Lima denied that Misuari had left the country after a warrant of arrest was issued by a court against the MNLF leader for rebellion and other related crimes for masterminding the Zamboanga attack last September.

Cerveza earlier hinted that Misuari used the southern backdoor to clip out of the country and tried to attend the conference in Africa, but he was unable to confirm his attendance as he had lost contact with the MNLF leader.

Then OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu chided Misuari for masterminding the Zamboanga City siege in September last year that left more than 200 people dead.

The OIC official said that Misuari made a wrong move when he resorted to violence in trying to assert his cause, but called the peace committee in Southern Philippines to exert efforts in order not to allow the unfortunate events to derail the peace process.